Noir: Eh, it could be darker

One link: I liked this one-page comic by Kevin Huizenga.  He's good.

Noir

By David Lapham, Jeff Lemire, Dean Motter, Chris Offutt, Kano & Stephano Gaudiano, Alex De Campi, Hugo Petrus, M.K. Perker, Paul Grist, Rick Geary, Ken Lizzi, Joelle Jones, Gary Phillips, Eduardo Barreto, Matthew & Shawn Fillbach, Ed Brubaker, Sean Phillips, Brian Azzarello, and Fabio Moon & Gabriel Ba.

There's a difference between noir as a genre and "just" plain old crime fiction.  Noir, mostly stemming from film noir and hardboiled detective fiction, deals in morally dubious situations, femmes fatale, tough guys, twisty plots, and usually bleak outcomes for all.  One could discuss and debate what exactly constitutes noir, but if you went by this collection of short comics, you might just think it involved crime stories presented monochromatically.  Sure, some of these tales do conceivably fall within the boundaries of noir, but most of them really don't, just being straightforward tales of law-breaking, rather than complex examinations of morality, motivation, or character.

David Lapham's "Open the Goddamn Box", which fits within his long-running Stray Bullets series, is an example, and being the first story in the book, it doesn't really set a good example for others to follow.  It's an ugly story about two boys who kidnap a girl with the intent to rape her, and how she tries to manipulate them into allowing her to escape.  It's thoroughly unpleasant (although the way she desperately tries to talk her way out of the situation is interesting, and might have worked better given more space to develop) and just not very noirish.  Neither is M.K. Perker's "The Albanian", in which a man stumbles into a murder scene without understanding what is going on.  It's a striking presentation of violence, but it's not noir.  Alex De Campi and Hugo Petrus' "Fracture" is another interesting story, seeing a flurry of emotions and imaginary situations fly through a woman's mind as she considers what it would be like to push someone in front of a subway train.  These are presented as several pages of disconnected panels, zoomed-in pictures, and surreal imagery, and it's kind of fascinating, but it's not really even a crime story, much less noir.

Some of the tales teeter on the edge, like "The Last Hit", written by Chris Offutt and illustrated by Kano and Stefano Gaudiano, which sees an aging assassin take a strange assignment and realize that he might have outlived his usefulness to his bosses.  Or there's the Fillbach brothers' "Lady's Choice", in which the bored girlfriend of a crime boss becomes enthralled by a rival who confronts him and decides to change loyalties.  Jeff Lemire's "The Old Silo" is another, seeing a financially-struggling farmer seizing an opportunity when a wounded bank robber takes refuge in his barn.  These all make use of noirish elements (the hitman, the femme fatale, the bank robber), but don't necessarily tell a noir story (even if they do see some interesting moments, especially in Lemire's use of facial expression to convey desperation and resignation).

Odder still, a few stories mix in elements from other genres, like Dean Motter's Mister X tale "Yacht on the Styx", in which the titular character reveals to a reporter the answer to a decades-old mystery in which a dead man apparently killed a bunch of people.  It does come close to noir, but the sci-fi settings and plot points kind of come to the fore, obscuring the crime elements.  The same could be said for "The New Me", by Gary Phillips and Eduardo Barreto, in which a woman targets a handsome gigolo of a fitness instructor for a plan involving her invalid husband, ending with a pretty unbelievable twist.  And "The Bad Night", written by Brian Azzarello and illustrated by Fabio Moon and Gabriel Ba, works pretty well as the noir story of a thief tasked to commit a robbery that will probably not end well, but it relies on a punchline that references the history of a character from another comics company, which is a kind of strange choice.

Luckily, there are a few true noir stories here, such as Paul Grist's "The Card Player", which sees his detective character Kane investigate and pursue a prolific burglar, only for both him and his target to be outsmarted by more powerful underworld figures.  It's a good example of a nicely-constructed plot and an emphasis on being controlled by shadowy forces, one that invites the reader to search out more Kane stories.  Rick Geary's "Blood on My Hands" is another good one, seeing a not-necessarily-sane man deciding to have his wife killed for cheating on him.  It's presented in Geary's perfectly-constructed style of deadpan narration and somewhat creepy imagery, and it might be the best story in the book.  "21st Century Noir", a Criminal story by Ed Brubaker and Sean Phillips does certainly compete with it though, with a man falling in love with a woman and determining to free her from an abusive husband, switching perspectives between characters every couple pages and peeling layers away like an onion before reaching a dark joke of an ending.  If anybody knows noir, it's Brubaker, and this is a great example of the kind of stories he and Phillips regularly tell in their series.  And finally, Ken Lizzi's text piece "Trustworthy", which is accompanied by some nice illustrations by Joelle Jones, is a pretty classic bit about a femme fatale recruiting a guy to help her get away with stealing from a drug lord, and it works well enough, even if its presence in a comics anthology is questionable.

Of course, much quibbling could be done about these definitions and genre restrictions, but does it really matter if the stories are good?  About half of the ones here are pretty good, and most all of them have something to recommend, whether it's nicely moody art or an interesting idea, so depending on one's tolerance for the blurring of genre lines, it could be a rather enjoyable read or a frustrating one.  It's certainly not the perfect little batch of noir storytelling hoped for, but it works for what it is.  Half a good anthology is better than none, I suppose.

Pamphleteering: October and probably earlier

Elsewhere: I reviewed Fantastic Four #572 for Comics Bulletin, and the latest episodes of Dollhouse and The Venture Brothers for The Factual Opinion. I'm prolific!

Links, lots of links: This gallery of Robert Crumb pictures of women throughout history is nice, although it seems like a collection of separate pieces thrown together, rather than a stuff done as part of a cohesive project. The portraits of girls he went to school with (with notes about what he found attractive about them) seem especially incongruous. Still: it's Crumb, so it's cool.

Everybody else has already linked to this, but I gotta point it out: a new four-page Chris Ware strip for The New Yorker! It's damn good, featuring the one-legged woman from Building Stories, at some point later in her life. Man, I love how he can put together such an affecting and realistic portrait of a human character in such a short space. Good stuff.

On a sillier note, here are some comic strip mashups by Ryan Dunlavey, that plug superheroes or other characters into classic strips like Peanuts or The Family Circus. Funny stuff.

Fundraising notice: Spike, of Templar, Arizona fame, is launching a new book project to be written by her and illustrated by Diana Nock. It's called Poorcraft, and it's all about sharing secrets on living with a low income. Sounds cool, and the neat thing about it is that, as with some other comics projects of late, you can donate to the cause through Kickstarter to help fund the project, and receive neat stuff like autographed copies of the book in exchange. I love that the internet has brought about ideas like this; it's a brave new world.

Finally, Brian Wood has a post on Vertigo's blog listing his favorite historical Viking battles, with notes on how they relate to Northlanders. Cool.

Okay, reviews of single issues, go:

Beasts of Burden #2

Written by Evan Dorkin

Art by Jill Thompson

Wow, this series is surprisingly dark. Although it shouldn't be that much of a surprise; the stories that began the series often dealt with serious issues like death and revenge, but that nature is masked by the cuteness of the protagonists and Jill Thompson's always-gorgeous artwork. But this issue is where we really see what the series is all about; it's not a frivolous fantasy about magic-using doggies and kitties, but an effective device for horror. The story here (involving the ghosts of missing animals and the discovery of what happened to them) really drives it home, with several moments that shock in their violence and don't provide an easy, safe resolution. And the final page is one of the most wrenchingly, hauntingly sad images I've seen in ages; it's going to linger in the memory for a while. Exemplary work from Dorkin and Thompson; this comic is shaping up to be one of the best of the year.

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The Order of Dagonet #1

Written by Jeremy Whitley

Art by Jason Strutz

Hey, how crazy would it be if all those entertainers and celebrities that get knighted by the queen of England actually had to defend the crown? That's the premise of this series, and it seems like a fun idea, especially when you throw in the fact that England is being attacked by creatures from the land of faerie and Merlin is the one who gathers them together, apparently giving them magical abilities or some such. It's a fun idea, and while this first issue is mostly devoted to explaining the premise and rounding up the cast, who include stand-ins for Ozzy Osbourne and Neil Gaiman (with a dash of J.K. Rowling), along with a washed up old Shakespearean actor similar to a less-respectable Ian McKellen or Ben Kinglsey, it's interesting enough to warrant attention.

As for the actual execution, it's not perfect, but that's at least partly due to overambition; the issue is full of interesting layouts, like the first couple pages, which see panels appearing as radio waves emanating from a broadcasting antenna:

Unfortunately, the flow can be confusing at times, but it's usually understandable, at least. And the art style itself is idiosyncratic and unique, looking like it was done with crayons or colored pencils and full of little scribbles of color. Again, it's not perfect and can be a bit confusing, but it's interesting just for being different rather than emulating whatever's popular.

If this first issue is any judge, it should be a series to watch, especially once the plot really gets underway. The creators seem to have a real labor of love here, and hopefully they'll continue to improve and make it something really worth reading.

If you're interested, the issue can be purchased from the book's website.

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The Anchor #1

Written by Phil Hester

Art by Brian Churilla

Phil Hester might be thought of more as an artist than a writer, but that would be neglecting what is arguably the best work of his career, especially his collaborations with Mike Huddleston, The Coffin and Deep Sleeper. And judging by this issue, The Anchor is another series that should be added to Hester's authorial pedigree. It's one of those action-packed supernatural series, with the hook being that the title character is God's guardian at the gates of Hell, keeping demons from escaping to Earth, while at the same time, he has a physical body on Earth who ends up fighting a giant monster in Iceland in this first issue. It's pretty cool stuff, with some interesting ideas linking the two versions of the character and helping him defeat the monster, and the art by Brian Churilla is really nice, full of ugly demons, expressive characters, and hard-hitting action, and especially making the Anchor looks like a hulking beast of a man, barely intelligent yet massively powerful. It's a nice concept for a comic, and hopefully Hester will continue to build on it and come up with interesting conflicts as the series goes on. In any case, I'm sure Churilla will rise to the occasion and deliver some incredible visuals. Let's make the magic happen, guys!

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Robot 13: Colossus #1-2

Written by Thomas Hall

Art by Daniel Bradford

When I first saw preview art for this series, I dismissed it as a Mike Mignola ripoff. Having actually read these first two issues, I'll say that said dismissal might have been hasty, but isn't necessarily unwarranted. The story here, about a mysterious, ancient robot (or whatever it is, consisting of a skull in a fishbowl atop a mechanical body) who, having been found in the depths of the ocean, is constantly fighting gigantic monsters, doesn't really have the depth of Mignola's work, but it's entertaining in its own way, and has its own unique variations on the craggy monsters and deep shadows of Hellboy and the like. Actually, it's fairly light stuff, with nothing much happening outside of those monster fights, aside from a flashback/memory at the beginning of the second issue that suggests the robot originated in ancient Greece. But the fights themselves are quite entertaining, offering some comic value from the spindly-limbed automaton going up against a giant octopus in the first issue and a phoenix in the second. And that phoenix allows for some searingly bright colors and high-altitude combat that does make the series pretty unique. So far, it's not an especially deep comic, but it's a fun one, and one that deserves some attention. Give it a look, if you can find it.

You can purchase the issues here, although the first issue appears to be sold out.

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Criminal: The Sinners #1

Written by Ed Brubaker

Art by Sean Phillips

There's not a lot to say about the story of this first issue of the latest Criminal storyline/miniseries, other than it's as good as ever, full of Ed Brubaker's signature character work, propulsive plotting, and utilization of the seedy settings he has created. He's refined this technique to a science by this point, and while he'll probably set up some excellent twists and surprises at some point, right now he's just doing the establishing work that kicks off each new arc, and it's exactly as nicely done as one would expect.

But on the other hand, Sean Phillips can never have too much praise, since his visuals are what really bring this series to life, and while he can be given the same plaudits as Brubaker, in that he's establishing the moody atmosphere and flawed characters in the same manner as normal, there's always something hidden under the surface, some details that really show the care and craft that are put into his work. The years of sin that are etched into this character's face, for example:

Or the variety of easily-read yet understated emotions that are written across this character's visage:

Gorgeous stuff, as always, and something that could certainly warrant a deeper examination. But for now, it's enough for me to note that it's amazing work and a reminder why I love this series so much. Next issue, please.

Bonus: did anybody else note the appearance by 30 Rock's Scott Adsit?

He even got mentioned by name!

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Per FTC regulations: some of these reviews were based on complimentary copies provided by the publishers, either electronic or hard copy. But I won't reveal which, lest it damage my precious critical credibility.

This week begins lateness season

Not that I really care, but last week's holiday apparently delayed the new comics releases until Thursday (that's why I'm not posting this until Tuesday, of course). Take that, addicts!

Oh, and check out my review of Criminal #7 over at Comics Bulletin. I love that series.

New comics this week (THURSDAY, 12/4/08):

Army@Love Art of War #5

I believe this is the final issue of Rick Veitch's sequel miniseries. Hopefully it will sell well enough to spawn more. I know I'll be picking up the collection.

Boys #25

Superhero decadence! X-Men spoofery! Garth Ennis and Darick Robertson! I wish I didn't have to wait to read this!

Charlatan Ball #5

Joe Casey continues his Kirby-inspired magic-based weirdness, with Andy Suriano illustrating. I dig this series quite a bit.

Criminal Vol 2 #7

The final issue of the current storyline, and the last one we'll see until Brubaker and Phillips return from doing Incognito, a supervillain-based series that debuts next month. I'll miss it; this is great comics. See the link above for my review.

Fight Or Run #1

People have been talking about this goofy video game-ish thing from Kevin Huizenga; I'll have to check it out if I see it. I kind of like Huizenga, but I certainly don't worship at his feet like most people seem to these days. This does seem like fun though.

Haunted Tank #1

A new Vertigo take on the longtime DC war comics property. This one sees some soldiers in Iraq get advice from the ghost of the Confederate general. Does hilarity ensue, or poignant violence? I dunno; it could go either way. There does seem to be an interesting racial theme, from the descriptions I've read. Frank Marraffino (who?) writes, and Henry Flint draws.

Hellboy The Wild Hunt #1

A new eight-issue miniseries from Mike Mignola and Duncan Fegredo. Will it be comprehensible? Or will it just look pretty? I'll find out when it's collected, I guess.

Marvels Eye of the Camera #1

Oh boy, it's a sequel to Marvels. Why? Only God and Joe Quesada know, I suppose. I've read this first issue, and man oh man am I not interested in this sort of thing. I was never that big of a fan of the original series, but I don't remember it being this tiresomely reverent toward all things superheroic. Or maybe that was why I didn't like it in the first place; I really don't care for that sort of over-serious examination of what it would be like to be a man on the street during the Silver Age. Can't we tell some real stories here, rather than constant rehashes of 40-year-old stuff written for kids? Ugh. Anyway, this seems to be less of a sequel than a story that takes place within the original series, examining the dawn of the Silver Age and what it was like to see the Fantastic Four and other superheroes first appear. Kurt Busiek writes, and Jay Anacleto tries to imitate Alex Ross. Enjoy, if you like that sort of thing, but really, isn't this the reason people call comics fans "babymen"?

Punisher Max X-Mas Special

It seems like there always has to be a Punisher Christmas special, for some reason. I guess people think it's hilarious to contrast the happy holiday with violence and gore. This one is written by Jason Aaron, with art by Roland Boschi (cover by Chris Bachalo!). Whee!

Sandman Dream Hunters #2

I still say the original illustrated story was fine, but I'll have to check this out at some point, simply because I dig P. Craig Russell. That's all.

Alex Toth Edge of Genius Vol 2

Hey, Alex Toth is pretty great, isn't he? I should read more of his stuff. Here's a collection, to aid in that discovery process.

Astonishing X-Men Vol 2 HC

The second half of the Joss Whedon/John Cassaday run on the series. Pretty good stuff, and it probably reads better collected than it did coming out ever-so-sloooowly. Check it out, especially if you were disappointed with the second storyline; it only gets better from there.

Cleburne GN

A Civil War-era graphic novel written by Justin Murphy, with art by Al Milgrom, involving a Confederate general who recruited slaves to fight for the South. Could be interesting. Here are some preview pages.

Creepy Archives Vol 2 HC

Classic stories from the revered horror anthology. I suppose I should try to read some of these one of these days.

Daredevil Miller Janson Vol 2 TPB

The second collection of Frank Miller's classic run on Daredevil. Pretty good stuff, for superhero adventuring. I guess I would recommend it if you haven't read it before, but I think Miller has done better.

Godland Vol. 4 TPB

Ooh, it's been too long since I've read this crazy Joe Casey/Tom Scioli bit of cosmic Jack Kirby-esque craziness. I think when I left off, the Triad (three aliens named Ed, Eeg-Oh, and Supra) were about to attack Las Vegas, Adam was locked out of Infinity Tower and about to battle a giant wasp monster, and his sister was off in space getting transformed into some kind of wacky energy being. Now I can see what happened next. Sweet!

Invincible Iron Man Vol 1 HC

I kind of liked this Matt Fraction/Salvador Larocca series when it started, but it has faded in my estimation since. I guess it's not awful, but I find myself wishing Fraction could be plying his awesomeness at something like Casanova rather than plugging away at superheroic status quo junk. Still, it's worth reading if you're into that sort of thing.

Spirit Vol 1 TPB

The first collection of Darwyn Cooke's run on the character, now in slightly cheaper softcover (it'll still cost you $20 though). Good stuff here; check it out if you're annoyed by Frank Miller's Sin City-lite movie version of Will Eisner's classic character.

Tale of Despereux Movie GN

I guess this is a new CGI-animated movie, about a big-eared, swashbuckling mouse? And here's the comics adaptation, by Matt Smith and David Tilton. I don't know which would be preferable.

Complete Terry And The Pirates Vol 5 1943-1944 HC

Milton Caniff is pretty awesome. I have the first volume of this series laying around; I should start reading it sometime.

Tiny Life GN

A weird-sounding book about a guy returning to his childhood home to discover himself, by Nick Jones. I could certainly take a look, even if Tim Callahan hated it.

War At Ellsmere TP

Faith Erin Hicks got some acclaim for her recent book Zombies Calling, and here's her follow-up, about mysterious supernatural happenings at a girls' boarding school. I never read the first book, but I wouldn't mind, and this one looks pretty good too. Maybe I'll get to it/them someday.

Wasteland Vol 3 Black Steel In The Hour Of Chaos TPB

Aw, yeah, this series is really good. This volume mostly details the defense of the city of Newbegin against a Sandeater attack; it's pretty well done, with some excellent art by Christopher Mitten and continued good plotting by Antony Johnston. I wouldn't start reading the series here, but I'll definitely recommend it as part of the whole. Come on, post-apocalyptic awesomeness abounds in every issue! Don't miss out!

Aria Vol 4 GN Tokyopop Edition

Not too much on the manga front this week; mostly volumes of stuff that seem notable. For instance, it's another volume in that Martian gondolier series that I want to read someday. Ah, someday; when I get there, all will be well.

Legend Of Zelda Ocarina Of Time Part 2 GN

So how did this series turn out? I dig the Zelda games, so I could see myself reading a manga version of the story. Here's volume 2.

St Dragon Girl Vol 1 TP

I just reviewed this one, about a martial-arts-rocking girl and her magician sort-of-boyfriend. It's not bad.

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And that's pretty much it. More content this week, I assume. If I get to it. Ah, laziness, how I embrace you.

The Black Diamond: Bypassing everything else out there

In case I don't get around to mentioning it, some movies I saw recently: Burn After Reading is pretty entertaining, if not anywhere near the Coen brothers' best work. I did like the oddly distancing stylistic techniques, like the bombastic score that made it sound like everything was important and world-shaking, when in actuality it was pointless nonsense. Good times, even if it's not going to be winning any Oscars.

On the other hand, The Visitor might be my favorite movie of the year, with an affecting story of personal connection among unlikely people, and a heartbreaking examination of the effects of the U.S. immigration policy. Damn good movie; check it out if you get the chance.

Also, I've got a review of Criminal volume 2 #6 over at Comics Bulletin. That's a good series.

And to business:

The Black Diamond: Get in the Car and Go

Written by Larry Young

Art by Jon Proctor

Damn that Graeme McMillan. His introduction to the collected version of The Black Diamond is so insightful, any attempt at critical analysis that I attempt could invite charges of plagiarism. It's a nice bit of preparation for the book, going over a lot of the themes and ideas, but not going too over the top with the praise. That's why he makes the big bucks, I guess.

But it helps to have somebody like McMillan to splash some water on you before you jump into the pool, because simply reading the back-cover summary won't prepare you for the story within. Larry Young seems to promise a "love-letter to the 1970s drive-in movie", but he delivers something much stranger, more of an examination of storytelling, full of misdirection as to where the plot is headed and what it's really all about.

But that main high-concept is a good one: 50 years in the future, the air travel industry has collapsed, and it has been replaced in the United States by the eponymous elevated intercontinental highway where miscreants and nonconformists can live away from the regular Joe Sixpacks. Dentist (orthodontist?) Don McLaughlin's wife is the daughter of the Black Diamond's designer, and when she is kidnapped from a conference in Baltimore, he has to race across the country from his home in San Francisco to save her. That's a great plot-starter, and while it's not like Young doesn't deliver some thrills related to "Doctor Don"'s quest, he also spends entire chapters ignoring it while characters have conversations that only occasionally involve the plot. It could be called Tarantino-esque, especially since the dialogue is quite mannered and not at all "realistic" (not that that's a problem; Young can write some pretty entertaining backs-and-forths), but this even takes a step beyond the film auteur's stylish postmodern revamping of old genres; these characters don't just discuss pop culture, but the mechanics of storytelling itself.

There's also the gradual encroachment of a larger conflict, as the government decides to end the lawlessness of the Black Diamond, sending the army to clean things up. This provides some interesting commentary about global politics and the U.S.'s reliance on oil (a fanciful notion; we're supposed to believe there will be any left in 50 years?), but it ends up providing an odd separate narrative that frankly isn't as interesting as the main one. And even that main "gotta save my wife" quest, which does have some great moments (see below), ends kind of abruptly. Overall, the story doesn't take as much of a narrative arc as a rising curve that just kind of stops. It's definitely an odd duck of a story, and while Young does acknowledge it with his "meta" ending (which even goes so far as to step out of the story and provide script excerpts and a sort of author insertion via captions, it's still kind of unsatisfying.

Or is it? As mentioned, Young is definitely participating in some misdirection, and he seems to delight in confounding expectations. He's busy describing the rules of how stories work, so why not blatantly break those rules? Whether this bothers you enough to be a dealbreaker probably depends on how adventurous you are in what you like to read, or at least what sort of tolerance you have for Young's shenanigans.

And of course, you might or might not like Jon Proctor's art, which has its own stylized appeal (or lack thereof). The character work in early chapters could charitably be described as awkward:

But he does noticeably improve on that front as the story progresses (even if we still occasionally have trouble telling characters apart). And even at those opening stages, the real appeal of his artwork begins to shine through: the dynamic design sense. The sleek lines of cool cars and the long stretches of roadways make for some excellent page design:

And his thick, ragged brush strokes provide some wild rubble and explosions, along with some expressive sound effects:

As the book progresses, Proctor's designs get more and more out there, eventually leading to crazy art-deco panel layouts filled with eye-searing washes of fluorescent color:

And in the finale, he turns the army's presence into repetetive, iconic imagery that calls to mind Soviet propaganda:

It's striking stuff, and a large part of the appeal of the book. Young's storytelling has a freewheeling quality that might lose the reader at times, but the book is rarely boring to look at.

Overall, I don't know if I could recommend this unreservedly; it's too quirky and strange for somebody expecting a bunch of car chases or something. But if you're willing to open your mind a bit and try to let Young's weird energy in, it's incredibly enjoyable, and unique enough of an experience to be pretty noteworthy. If that sounds like your kind of thing, well, you've probably already read it, but if you haven't, do check it out.

This review was based on a complimentary copy provided by the publisher.

Epic-length review roundup

Okay, I'm finally getting to the recent comics reviews I've been promising for a week or so. There's lots of stuff here, and I might talk about some of them more than others. And rather than just picking them randomly off a stack, I've tried to be a bit more organized and do them alphabetically. It's almost professional. Anyway, off we go:

The Boys #7
Written by Garth Ennis
Art by Darick Robertson



The unceremonious cancellation of this book by DC seems to have raised its stature in the comics blogoweb's consciousness, including mine. Ever since it started, I thought it was pretty fun with some decent (if mean-spirited) jokes, but never was anything too groundbreaking. This issue brings my memories back, since it's more of the same. Some funny bits, maybe a little worldbuilding, lots of ridicule of superheroes, nothing too special. I expect I'll keep buying it, mostly out of my current antipathy toward superheroics, but I'm not really expecting big things. Who knows, maybe Ennis will pull out the stops and come up with something crazy in future issues, but he seems to be coasting along on his anti-superhero sentiment right now. We'll see where he goes with it.

Oh, and I should mention that I like the variant cover there. It's a good viewpoint reversal from the first issue's cover. Cool.
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Cover Girl #2 (of 5)
Written by Andrew Crosby and Kevin Church
Art by Mateus Santolouco



Well, I kind of criticized the first issue of this miniseries for being mostly setup, but the second issue almost seemed to be designed to address my concerns. As I suspected, the best part of the story is seeing Alex interact with Rachel, which is pretty much what happens for the entirety of this issue. There's some pretty good dialogue (and less of the forced wittiness that bothered me last issue):



Plus lots of action:



This issue has a different artist, and I like him better; his style seems to be closer to Rafael Albuquerque's cover art, and it looks really nice, with good facial expressions (although a couple of characters sport sharklike grins that I found offputting) and pretty nice layouts.

So my concerns have been addressed. One complaint (which involves SPOILERS): The black guy gets killed. That's too obvious of an action movie cliche. Maybe there will be a twist or something, but it bothered me [end SPOILER]. Anyway, good, enjoyable stuff, and I'll definitely be reading the rest of the series.
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Criminal #6
Written by Ed Brubaker
Art by Sean Phillips



Now this was pretty sweet. I think it was the slight hiatus that this title had been on, but I was wondering if I should drop it. This issue changed that feeling right away, with a slam-bang intro to a new, brutal story about a tough guy running away from the army to find and get revenge on his brother's killers. We're sure to get some good crime details in the upcoming story, but even this first chapter has some good characterization, and a nice, moody art style. I glanced through the recent Marvel Zombies one-shot that Phillips illustrated, and was not too impressed. He should really stick to this sort of story; it fits his sensibilities much better. So I'm hooked again, and can't wait to read more of this stuff. Nice job, guys; don't let me down!
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Gutsville #1 (of 6)
Written by Simon Spurrier
Art by Frazier Irving



I had been highly anticipating this title ever since I first heard about it, and, judging by the first issue, I don't think it will disappoint. It's a crazy concept: a ship was swallowed by a giant sea creature back in 1850; the passengers survived and set up a society in its intestines. It's a Puritanical place, with religious elders who call themselves Jonahkin ruling over everybody else, promising a "great gurgitation" someday. A sprawling cast is introduced, with our focus seeming to be mainly on Albert, a young man who wants to be an artist (which is frowned upon by the elders) but is forced to take up his father's mantle as Ratcatcher. He's in love with a young lady named Emilia, but she has chosen to marry the son of the head religious leader instead. Albert has found a map of his father's (as Ratcatcher, he had explored the intestines extensively), and hopes to use it to escape. There's also a plot about a serial killer, and a subplot about the mystical abilities of some aborigines (slaves?) on board. And then there's a hell of a cliffhanger on the last page, but I'm not going to spoil it for anybody who hasn't read the book.

Frazier Irving's art, which was the main attraction for me on this book, beautifully conveys the freaky world these characters inhabit. I can't wait to see what he has coming up in the future. He especially excels in portraying the psychedelic aborigine visions:



And while there's tons of other stuff worth mentioning, I wanted to point out the expressive depiction of hands in these panels:



That's really cool. Really, there's only one bit I didn't like, and that's the computer lettering in this panel:



Would it have killed them to hand-letter that? When lettering is printed on top of the art like that, it always looks to me like the letters are floating in front of whatever is being shown. But I'm nitpicking here, and it's one panel out of the whole book. (I seem to seize upon and obsess over minor details like this. A while back I was going on and on about panel borders; now I seem to be all about fonts. Weird.)

But anyway, it's pretty awesome. I recommend it, especially if you like weird stuff like me. I'm excited to read the next issue.
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Iron Man: Hypervelocity #5 (of 6)
Written by Adam Warren
Art by Brian Denham



Damn, I love this book. Adam Warren has been pulling out all the stops to give us an ultra-technofetishistic look at a rogue Iron Man suit occupied by an upload of Tony Stark's consciousness. He spends almost the entirety of this issue fighting off the intelligent virus that has infected his armor (and losing badly). Absynthe (the female projection of the virus, who turns out to be another uploaded consciousness, I think) beats the hell out of him for page after page, wiping out all his memories, like this one (which cracked me up):



Warren pulls of a twist with all this that I saw coming, but it's still handled pretty elegantly. Nicely done. At the same time, the suit is on autopilot, fighting of what seems like the full extent of SHIELD's arsenal. It's all pretty awesome, and it's leading up to a big action finale next issue. Sweet.

As for the art, I complained about previous issues that Denham's style doesn't fit Warren's writing as well as a more manga-inspired artist's might, but he seems to finally be getting close enough to Warren's actual art style that I find it pretty satisfactory. Warren does some pretty extensive layouts, from what I understand, and five issues in, he seems to finally be getting it. You can probably see what I mean on the page above. So it's pretty nice-looking as well as exciting and fun to read. If you haven't been reading the series, I highly recommend the inevitable collection.
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Loaded Bible 2: Blood of Christ
Written by Tim Seeley
Art by Mike Norton



I'm not sure why I bought this. I got the first issue, which came out over a year ago, and I thought it was okay. But this one just wasn't very good. The big story in part one was Jesus fighting off the vampires that had overrun the earth, only to find out he was actually a clone being used by the Catholic church, who were the rulers of the remnants of human society. In this one, you have him angsting over that fact, while the people discover that they've been tricked, so the church releases their hordes of captive vampires to exert control, followed by their army of Jesus clones to regain safety. You've also got some stuff with resistance fighters, and scheming by vampire leaders. Yawn. It just didn't really interest me, possibly due to the absence of any wit in such a crazy concept. Art is by Mike Norton, the current artist on Runaways. He does a decent enough job, but nothing spectacular. I doubt I'll be back for any further chapters.
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Local #9 (of 12)
Written by Brian Wood
Art by Ryan Kelly



I don't really have too much to say about this one, other than "it's really good". It's a series I love, and I wish it came out more regularly. This issue sees Megan traveling back to her hometown of Norman, Oklahoma to pay respects to her mom, who just passed away. It's a very emotional issue, filled with flashbacks to Megan's childhood, and Kelly's art is just beautiful. The way he conveys Megan's sadness is amazing:



And I love the style he uses for flashbacks, with thin lines and rough, charcoal greytones:



Nice. It's a great book, and I can't wait for the next issue, which takes place in my former hometown of Austin, Texas. Don't make me wait to long, guys!
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Madman Atomic Comics #2
By Mike Allred



Oh, yeah, I love me some Madman! We learn what's going on in this issue, and fans are surely happy to learn that Allred is not throwing out all of Madman's past adventures, like he teased us with last issue. Rather, it's a plot by the evil Monstadt! There's some really cool stuff this issue, with a bunch of double-page spreads detailing Frank's Ditko-esque psychedelic adventures. Here's a small detail:



And there's more philosophizing, plus this gem of a moment:



Yeah, that's what I like to see! Next issue promises more interdimensional/spiritual/afterlife action, and I can't wait.
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Newuniversal #6
Written by Warren Ellis
Art by Salvador Larroca



I had thought this issue might wrap up the first story arc of the series, but that doesn't seem to be the case; Ellis is just writing a long story, and who knows how long it will last. I'm impressed with the scope of the story he's telling; whole characters and subplots seem to disappear for issues at a time, and most of the characters haven't even met and barely know the others exist. I count six major characters, each with their own storyline. Two of those stories seem to have merged, as Nightmask and Starbrand have met up and escaped a military attack. The Angelina Jolie-lookalike cyborg-building girl works under the NSA superhero expert, but they've barely interacted. And we don't even get to see what's going on with the archaeologists in Estonia this issue. It's a big, sprawling cast, and I'm finding it very interesting seeing what Ellis is doing with them.

This issue seems to be focused mostly on Voight(the NSA guy)'s meeting with the President (Hillary Clinton, in this universe). We get to learn some of his backstory, and it's pretty scary. We also get to see Justice continue to go nuts, murdering a street full of people because they are or will be guilty of something. I guess. This is an interesting development, since he hadn't done anything too evil before now, but he seems to have become quite the villain.


So, interesting stuff. I don't know if I would get any more out of it if I was at all familiar with Marvel's original New Universe, but I don't really care. I'm finding this really compelling, and unless it takes a drastic downturn, I expect to keep reading and enjoying it.
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X-Men: First Class Special
Written by Jeff Parker
Art by Kevin Nowlan, Nick Dragotta and Mike Allred, Paul Smith, and Colleen Coover



It seems like every other comics blog has talked about this book and how fun it is, so I don't really feel the need to cover it too extensively (or post that panel of Xavier using Cerebro to determine the cuteness level of ducklings). So I'll just say I liked it quite a bit, and share this awesome Nick Dragotta/Mike Allred drawing:



Cyclops' eye really freaks me out there. Anyway, my enjoyment of this issue, and Jeff Parker's writing in general, has me considering picking up the collection of the X-Men: First Class miniseries and/or the upcoming ongoing series. I don't generally care for "hidden years" stories, and the regular artist is Roger Cruz, whom I don't care for too much. Plus, I've been getting pretty tired of superheroes lately. I'll consider it, maybe by trying to find the collection for cheap, but I dunno. It's a dilemma. Any thoughts, anybody?
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White Picket Fences #1 (of 3)
Written by Matt Anderson and Eric Hutchins
Art by Micah Farritor



I picked this one up because I thought it looked interesting, and I kind of liked the art style. The story has to do with a young boy living in suburbia stumbling across a military/alien weapon and possibly starting an interplanetary war. It seems to take place in an alternate version of the 1950's, where the populace is scared not by Communism, but by aliens from Mars or Venus. It's odd, and not explained very well (at least not yet). The story is kind of cute; in addition to Charlie (the boy) and his friends' comic book-inspired activities, we get some scenes between Charlie's father and a neighbor who mocks their shelter, where they hide from alien attacks, I guess. And there's a plot about the military showing up and taking over the town to root out the menace within. It's interesting, I guess, but not too compelling of a plot; I don't know if I'll come back for the next issue or not.

The art is pretty nice though, with some cartoonily angular designs. I especially liked this splash page of the kids playing war games:



It kind of reminds me of Jordan Crane or somebody like that. There's also a backup story featuring an adventure of Captain Odyssey, the kids' Flash Gordon-esque comic book hero. It's kind of fun, although it might be trying too hard to seem like Golden Age comics. And the character designs seem a bit too similar to the ones in the main story; if you ask me, they should be more fantastical. Fortunately, there are some nice visual flourishes:



So it's a fairly fun book. I might or might not pick up the second or third issue.
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Whew! I think that all I wanted to cover. I might have more stuff tomorrow. We'll see.